Container-carrier



June 3, 1952 D. c. MURPHY CONTAINER CARRIER Filed Oct. 6-, I947 INVENTOR. DAN/EL G. MURPHY Patented June 3, 1952 CONTAINER-CARRIER Daniel (J. Murphy, Palo Alto, Calif., assignor to Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation, a

corporation of Delaware Application October 6, 1947, Serial No. 778,139

This invention relates to a bottle carrier and, more particularly, to a bottle carrier composed of sheet metal.

The sale of bottled goods to retail customers across the counter presents a serious safety problem where the sale of several bottles is involved. The heavy bottles cannot be safely or conveniently carried in paper bags, especially when the temperature of the bottles is sufficiently below that of the atmosphere to cause dew formation and wetting of the paper bag, or during rainy weather. Wetted paper bags rapidly lose their strength and the heavy bottles, after pushing their way through the weakened bag, often break after falling upon a hard fioor or side walk. Serious cuts are frequently obtained by customers because of carrying bottled liquids in paper bags.

In addition to the safety problem there is a shipping problem to be solved. There is great need for a carrier which can be used conveniently first as a shipping container and later as a retail customer's carrier. A suitable shipping container must be strong enough to protect the contained bottles from breakage and be of proper design to permit vertical and horizontal packing in a minimum of cubical space.

Since very large numbers of container-carriers must be used in the handling of the immense volume of bottled goods the cost of the carriers must be kept down to a minimum. This can only be done when the carrier is of a simple design and is ingeniously adapted to being efiiciently produced by mass-production methods.

Bearing in mind the problems to be solved, it is an object of this invention to provide a strong bottle carrier which will retain its strength during all atmospheric conditions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a safe and rigid bottle carrier which will protect the bottles from breakage and which can be used conveniently both for shipping and for carrying bottles.

A more specific object of this invention is to produce a safe and relatively inexpensive bottle carrier of simple design from sheet metal.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto are accomplished in the bottle carrier of the present invention. A preferred embodiment of the invention is given in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an isometric view of the bottle carrier; Figure 2 is a sectional side view of the carrier taken through the center line A-A in Figure 1, and parallel to the side walls l and. l I; Figure 3 is an end view of the carrier;

2 Claims. (Cl. 224-48) and Figure 4 is a plan view. Dashed lines indicate the positions of the bottles in the fully loaded carrier.

Referring to the embodiment shown in the drawings, the side walls [0 and i l and the bottom l2 of the bottle carrier of the invention are constructed from a properly precut length of sheet metal [3, preferably by stamping and bending a single length of sheet. The end strips I4 and I5 are attached to opposite pairs of edges of the side walls [0 and l I at points spaced above bottom l2, but below the top portions of side walls [0 and II, as shown; the attachment being either pivotal or rigid and secured by rivets, spot-welds. lockseams, etc. (not shown). The handle I6 is pivotally fastened to the tops of side walls l0 and H by rivets l1 and I8 loosely driven (or by bolts) so that the handle can be folded down 'for loading and unloading the carrier, for stacking loaded carriers for shipment, or for nestling empty carriers to save space. To reduce construction costs and simplify the design of the carrier the handle I6 is preferably made on the same die as the end strips l4 and IS. The handle, or the tops of the walls [0 and II, may be provided with latching lugs (not shown) to temporarily hold the handle in either a vertical or horizontal position.

The various parts of the carrier are preferably shaped in a manner-to stiffen and strengthen the carrier. The side walls may be suitably embossed with an ornamental design, trade-mark, trade name, etc., for advertising purposes and for the purpose of producing a strong, rigid carrier.

The sheet-metal used in constructing the bottle carrier may be made from any commonly available metal, but it is preferable tomake the carrier from a strong, light metal such as aluminum or magnesium. The terms aluminum and magnesium as used herein are intended to include alloys of each metal.

The carrier may be painted in plain or omamental design, including trade-marks and trade names of various manufacturers of bottled goods. The surface finish may be the untreated metal, etched or polished metal, organic finish, anodized finish, etc., or combinations of various such finishes. In the case of such metals as aluminum or magnesium the carrier may be finished in an anodized oxide coating which may-be dyed or painted by methods well known in the art.

The various dimensions of the bottle carrier of the invention are chosen to accommodate a convenient number of bottles, such as two, four, six, etc. The embodiment shown in the drawings is designed for six bottles. In any case, the height and thickness of the bottles to be carried must be taken into consideration in setting the various? dimensions of the *carrier. The height of the side walls In and I I is chosen so" that the tops of the bottles rise slightly higher than the tops'of I the side walls, as shown in Figure 2. The height of handle I6 is chosen to be such that it will permit ample andrsafe' hand and finger room for pickingu'pand carrying the loadedcarrier. In addition the dimensions and design of the handle are preferably such that, when the handle is set. in the horizontal position, its upper edge .19, .as

1. A rigid container for carrying a plurality of bottles, comprising a bottom portion and two upright walls shaped from a single piece of sheet metal thereby forming a structure closed at the bottom and at two opposing sides, and open at Y the top andthe other .two sides, a rigid sheet metal U-shaped strip bridging each open side portionandconnectedto said metal side portions atpoints located slightly within'the-container intermediate the tops and bottoms thereof, the major portions of each of said strips being in ya vertical plane located a substantial distance shown in Figure 2, will come below the tops of the bottles in the loaded carrier, and the gripl portion of the handle will .bepositioned directly By designing the handle and the side walls in this manner the loaded carriers can be conveniently stacked above either end strip I4 or 15.

vertically, and the empty carriers are admirably adapted for mechanicaliloading.

J .Thedesign and construction of the .sheet metal lmttle carrier of the invention maybe varied by making the side walls and bottomof the carrier out or separate sectionsof sheet metal fastened 'togetherby. rivets, for example, and two or more 1 end stripsinstead oione maybe used on each end of the ca'rrier; The .end strips and the handle 1 may be-shaped-for strength and-comfort as shown :infthe drawings. -Thebottom and side wall may ,be similarly shaped or corrugated to impart strength thereto, or, if sufi ciently heavy gauge sheetemetal is-.used,-sections-of the metal may 7 bapnnched out tolower the weight to thecarrier and save metal.

.lAmong additional advantages of the bottle carsrier ofgthe'inventionis its adaptability .to automaticiloading by mechanical loading machines. is by virtueof the pivotal handle which can .be' set in a horizontal position 'during loading. Furthermore, when thehandle'is in the horizon- .tal .position,,-the overall width vof the carrier is not increased, and the empty carrier can be -.packed and-shipped in side-by-side arrangement.

rwwhat-is claimedis: V V

Number outwardly from the outer marginal edges of said side'portions', arrigid sheet metal strip bridging "'thetopentop of'said container and pivotally connected to'the metal side portions above their respectivece'nters adjacent the necks of the contained bottles and on the inside walls of the container'so as to be adjustable to a horizontal posiof arcnate shape.

DANIEL C. MURPHY.

REFERENCES CITED "The followingreferenees are of'recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name 7 Date 2,335,197 Ringler Nov.f23, 1943 12,404,699 Edgerton .J1iIy'23,.I946 2,425,135 I Suitor Aug. 5, 1947 2,430,302 Ringler d Nov. 4 I947 2,436,501 Baler Feb. 24,1948 2,443,985 Lamprecht J une..22, .1948 

